Broken Young
by HeartyMedusa
Summary: There are moments that help define or influence people. This is when we get to see what influenced Shepard and Kaidan to become the people they are.
1. Chapter 1

He figured that he was right around five when he started glowing and being able to manipulate things with his mind. He kept it a secret because, even at five, he knew that other kids couldn't do what he did and he knew that that made him weird.

And not the good kind of weird.

When he knew that his mom and dad were busy, he would hide out in the upstairs bathroom and play. He would sit in front of the full-length mirror just to watch himself light up.

He reminded himself of a Christmas tree.

He knew that his mom knew something had changed in him. Not his dad so much- which didn't really surprise him all that much.

There were times that he had had to run away so his parents didn't see him light up. That got increasingly harder as he got older. The nosebleeds were difficult to explain as well.

Not to mention all the things that ended up broken after he had any kind of emotional high.

It was four years after he realized he was _special_ that he was discovered.

* * *

"Kaidan!" his mother shouted from downstairs, causing him to accidentally drop a book mid-air. "Brian is here!"

Brian was one of his best-friends and Kaidan had been strongly considering letting him see his special powers.

He wondered if he was a superhero- like what he read in comics- and hoped that his friend would think so.

Kaidan bounded down the stairs and skidded to a stop at the bottom to avoid running into his dad. His father looked down at him suspiciously.

"What've you been into, Kaidan?" his father asked, his gray eyes looking his son over with a military-like stare.

"Nothing, dad," Kaidan sighed, shrugging. "Just reading."

His father shook his head disapprovingly. "You should be out with other kids your age," he muttered, walking away, "not in the house reading a book."

There was nothing that Kaidan did that his father approved of. It wasn't that his father didn't love him- Kaidan just wasn't what he expected in a son.

A few seconds later, he was leading Brian upstairs. After Kaidan shut the door to his room, he turned to his friend with a secretive smile on his face.

"I've got something neat to show you," Kaidan informed him conspiratorially.

Brian looked surprised as he sat aside the model he had brought over for the two of them to do together (it _was_ Saturday, after all).

"What is it?"

"You gotta promise you won't tell anyone," Kaidan stated. "Not your parents, no one at school, not even your _cat_!"

Brian nodded "I promise!"

Kaidan smiled widely at his friend and focused completely on the model box. He focused hard, but not hard enough to make it explode (he'd had that happen a few times).

After a few seconds, he could feel the familiar tingle of blue electricity running over his skin. Kaidan heard Brian gasp, but ignored him. It took a few more seconds, but, soon, the box holding the model floated over to Brian and landed in his lap.

"That is so cool!" Brian exclaimed after the glow faded from around Kaidan. "You're magic!"

Well, he'd been hoping his friend would say a superhero, but being magical was cool too. He grinned at Brian. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Brian nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, do me next."

That gave Kaidan pause. "What?"

"Make me float like the box!"

He had never tried anything so heavy before. He didn't know the extent of his glowing powers.

What would happen if he used them on something that was alive?

Would he hurt his friend?

Would he hurt himself?

Sometimes the stuff he tried to move exploded, did he have enough control not to explode his best friend?

It didn't matter. His friend didn't think he was a freak and that pushed away all thoughts of caution.

"Don't move. Stay still," he ordered.

Brian nodded, settling more comfortable on the floor. Kaidan took a few deep breaths, relaxing his mind. After a few moments, he focused on Brian. It wasn't as easy as lifting a box and he felt a pressure begin to build.

He ignored it.

It took a while, but the glow ended up covering Brian as well and he slowly lifted off the ground- his face beaming. The pressure continued to build, but Kaidan wouldn't give in.

In that moment, he was a superhero.

"Can you make me go higher?" Brian asked excitedly.

Kaidan focused a little harder to make him rise up further in the air. When Brian rotated a little in the air, he flung out his hands- a completely automatic response- and that was when things went bad.

Brian dropped a little and that startled Kaidan. Kaidan focused harder, forcing Brian higher towards the ceiling. The pressure was getting to be too much. He was stretching his abilities. He felt something drip out of his nose at a quick rate and knew that a nosebleed had started.

He couldn't just let Brian fall.

His vision was beginning to go blurry, but he focused on lowering his friend. He couldn't even tell Brian to stop moving- lest he completely lose concentration. He just had to trust that he could make it through the situation with both of them in one piece.

"Kaidan," he heard his mom from the other side of his door. Panic set in and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop glowing until after Brian was down. The door to his room opened and his mother screamed at the top of her lungs.

Brian dropped to the ground painfully, but seemed not to be overly hurt. Kaidan could hear his father bounding up the stairs as he turned to look at his terrified mother.

"Mom…."

Kaidan's dad ran up next to his mother and took her shoulders in his hands. "What's wrong, Renee?" he demanded.

His mother shook her head, not looking away from her son. She managed to get a hand to her mouth. It seemed that Kaidan had managed to strike his mother speechless.

He self-consciously wiped away the blood that was leaking out of his nose and looked over to make sure that Brian was okay. As it was, Brian was rubbing his rear, but seemed to be fine otherwise.

"What the hell happened, Kaidan?" his father demanded.

He looked between his mother and father. What was he supposed to say? How could he name that which he had no name for? This would be even would be even worse that wanting to sit around and read books in the eyes of his father.

"I asked you a question, Kaidan Michael," his father growled.

There were no words.

Instead, Kaidan focused and lit up again, causing his mother to let out a small sound. He looked up helplessly at his father after he _powered down._

"How long?" his father asked quietly. Surprisingly, he didn't sound angry. Just resigned…tired.

"Tony!" her mother gasped, pulling away from him.

"Around four years," Kaidan admitted.

His father turned to Brian. "We'll give you a ride home." He looked at Kaidan. "Shoes on, son, we're going to the hospital and get the bloody nose checked out."

Kaidan and his mother stared at his father, stunned. "Tony?" her mother asked.

"He's a biotic, Renee."


	2. Chapter 2

She hid behind the couch just like she always did when the mean man came to see her mommy. He never bothered to knock- he'd just slam the door open- and she had to learn to be quick on her toes in those situations (not easy, given certain problems).

Sometimes he'd take her mommy into the bedroom and they'd make funny sounds together for a while. Then, afterwards, he'd give her mommy money and leave.

Other times, he'd come through the door and beat her mommy up until she couldn't stand. He'd spit on the floor just in front of her, lay money on the table, and leave.

Maker forbid he ever saw Mimi.

Something about the mere _sight_ of her caused his already short temper to explode. The first and only time Mimi could remember him seeing her had resulted in her mommy going to the hospital (which, as far as Mimi knew, was the only time she'd ever went).

She didn't understand why he hated her so much- she was only six (well, _almost_ six, anyway).

Anyway, that day he and her mom went into her mom's room and started making funny noises. Since it was normal for that to last a while, Mimi decided that it would be fine if she made a snack- her mommy had forgotten to make her one before the bad man came over and she was hungry.

As she was putting away the bread and other essentials, the bad man came stomping from her mommy's room and stopped mid-stride when he saw her. Mimi froze as she stared at him, waiting to see what he was going to do.

"Allison!" he shouted angrily at her mother, never looking away from Mimi. "Get your lazy, drugged ass out here!"

Mimi gripped the knife she had used behind her back, scared out of her mind. She just wanted to run, but was too afraid to make her feet work properly.

"Ryan, what is it?" her mom practically purred.

The mean man pulled his harsh glare off of Mimi and put it on her mommy. "What the hell happened to getting rid of it?" he demanded.

_It._

Mimi had been reduced from a little girl to an it- an _unwanted_ it.

Like a piece of undesirable furniture.

She waited for her mommy to defend her- give some _hint_ that she was wanted and loved.

Allison regarded her daughter emotionlessly before turning back to Ryan. "D'you have any idea how hard it is to get rid of a five-year-old that can't even walk right?"

Mimi stared at her mommy, uncomprehending. It was as though she had already tried to get rid of Mimi already but couldn't because there was something wrong with her.

That didn't make sense.

The mean man strode forward and glared down at Mimi. "They have homes," he snapped as he reached out and gripped her left arm tightly in his large hand.

Mimi's eyes started to water and a small noise of pain escaped her mouth. "No," she gasped out.

"Oh, look, it speaks!" he laughed, a strong, bitter smell invaded Mimi's nose, and squeezed her arm tighter.

It hurt.

Her eyes darted everywhere- from her mommy to the door and back to the mean man. There was no one who would help her because, to the world, she was no one- just a speck of dirt in the entire world.

"You should have gotten rid of it as soon as you had it," he snarled at Mimi's mother. "It'll never be anything but a problem- reliant on other's to take care of it." He gripped her chin tightly with his other hand and leaned closer so that she was practically suffocating from his acrid breath. "Just like it's fucking father."

That made her decision.

Mimi lashed out with the knife that had remained behind her back and stabbed the mean man on the side of the neck between the ear and shoulder. He made a funny sound before releasing her.

She had kept hold of the knife and, due to his letting her go, slit a little further down his neck before she made the decision to pull the knife out.

Mimi's mother screamed and rushed forward to try and cover the bloody gash on the mean man's neck. She was crying, murmuring to the mean man.

Mimi stared down at her hands and the knife. She realized that this was something she could never take back.

What she did was a bad thing.

She carefully sat the knife down at her feet and calmly walked to the bathroom to wash the blood off of her hands.

It didn't _feel_ like a bad thing.

With her hands clean, she went back into the kitchen and stopped a little away from her mother. Allison looked up at her through bloodshot eyes.

"He's dead," she whispered.

That meant nothing to Mimi.

She didn't understand.

She had no experience with that word.

"You killed him," Allison continued. "Get out."

"Mommy?"

Allison got to her feet and stumbled over to Mimi and slapped her across the face. Her face snapped to the side and remained there, stunned.

"Get out of my house. I don't care where you go- never come back!" Allison growled, practically throwing Mimi away from her.

Mimi's lower lip quivered. When her mother didn't take back her words, she slowly made her way out of the house in nothing but her shorts and t-shirt. She didn't even bother to put on shoes.

She had nothing and nowhere to go, so, instead, she wandered the streets- which was more than a little difficult considering she had trouble walking.

When she finally looked up, she saw a sign for the local hospital.

With nowhere left to go, she went in the general direction of the hospital to ask for help.


	3. Chapter 3

The entire ride to the hospital, he just kept repeating the word over and over again in his mind.

His weirdness had a name- something that, at the time, he loved the idea of to no end.

**_Biotics_**.

He was a _biotic_.

It didn't make him any less weird, but it meant that there were others like him. He wasn't an anomaly in the entirety of the world.

While that didn't make him as special as he thought, it was still pretty awesome.

None the less, he walked with his head held high (and a bag of cookies) into the hospital behind his parents. They had been talking quietly beneath their breath the entire ride, but at least they knew what he was.

At least _he_ (sorta) knew what he was.

He was a blue-glowing boy who wasn't alone.

As his parents went to fill out all the necessary paperwork, Kaidan noticed a little girl- probably a few years younger than him- sitting in a waiting room chair by herself.

Her blonde hair looked like it needed washed and her feet were really dirty and he thought that her parents needed to take her home and give her a good bath. She also looked too thin and very sad.

While his parents were talking to the desk nurse, he went over and smiled at her.

She looked so alone.

"Hi," Kaidan greeted her, smiling.

She looked at him with sad, lost green eyes. "'lo," she greeted quietly.

"I'm Kaidan," he informed her.

"Mimi," she answered, looking down at her clenched hands before looking back up at him.

His mom called his name and he waved at her to let her know where he was (his parents were _always_ worried about what he was doing and where he was).

"Are you sick?" she asked him quietly, looking him over carefully, her eyes lingering on the bag of cookies in his hand before looking back up into his face.

That startled him.

Was he?

Was what he was able to do a sickness- would he end up giving it to others?

Would he give his glowing- his biotics (even thinking it gave him a strange kind of thrill)- to the sad, lonely little girl?

"I don't know. I glow a funny color and make things move. 's the reason my mom and dad brought me here." Then he realized something. "Where're your mom and dad?"

Mimi's bottom lip quivered and her eyes filled up with tears. "I don't know," she whispered, looking down at her hands in her lap. "My mommy...my mommy told me to leave and so I did. I walked and walked for a long time and I found my way here. The lady called the cops.

"I must be broke," she whispered, a small tear escaping from her eyes. She ignored it, not even seeming to realize that it had fallen. "'s the only thing that makes sense. Why else would she want me to go away?"

Her small voice explaining it hurt Kaidan in a way that he had never been hurt before. At nine, he thought he knew it all. But, looking down at the shattered little girl, he realized that he was a long way from knowing everything.

After he put his bag of cookies in her lap, he took her tiny, little hands in his own and smiled at her shocked expression.

What could someone his age say to a little girl who thought that she was broken?

How could he assure her that it was her _mother_ who was broken if she had thrown her young kid out on the streets?

"Kaidan," his mom called for him and he struggled to decide what to do.

He wondered if he should leave the girl alone. There was a person who made his problems seem so insignificant. She was so vulnerable and so open.

She seemed to be able to read his indecision. "Go," she said softly, a ghost of a smile on her lips, "I'll be okay."

He squeezed her hand before letting go. "I hope things get better, Mimi."

As he turned to walk away, he heard her quiet voice whisper, "Goodbye...Kaidan."

His mother quickly took him by the hand and led his father and him into a private room.

That was when their suspicions were confirmed.

When they knew without a doubt.

He was a freak of nature.

He was a biotic.


	4. Chapter 4

Mimi sat in the hospital chair with a policeman on one side of her and a policewoman in front of her.

"My name is Officer Adam Drew," the man introduced himself.

The woman gave her a small smile. "I'm Officer Belinda May. We're here to talk to you.

"Now that you know our names," the lady said gently, "can we know your name?"

She looked at the officer before looking behind her towards the door that Kaidan and his parents had disappeared behind. "Mimi," she said quietly, wishing that she hadn't even been put in a situation like the one she was in.

Officer May smiled and leaned forward. "How about you tell me your whole name?"

He had been back with the doctor for a long time. She wondered if he was okay. Someone as good as him...well…he deserved to not be sick. He had given her his cookies- and not just any kind of cookies, but chocolate chip! Not too many other people would have given cookies to someone like her.

"Okay, we'll come back to that," the officer reasoned, not losing her smile. "How old are you, Mimi?"

"Five."

The officer took down a note. "Your birthday?"

"April 11th, 2154."

Again, she took down a note. "Where're your mommy and daddy, Mimi?"

"I never met my daddy," she explained, looking down at her folded hands. "The mean man said that my daddy was just a problem and needed other people to take care of him…like I will be."

"Who's the mean man?"

Mimi looked up at the Officer May. "Ryan- he's mommy's friend." She paused. "Well, he _was_ mommy's friend. Mommy said he was dead."

The other cop- Officer Drew- leaned forward. "How'd he die?" he asked.

"I put a knife into his neck," she said simply, emphasizing her words with a shrug. When the officers both leaned back, she rubbed her arm where he had gripped it. "He was hurting me. I had to stop him."

They both sat quietly for a minute. "Who's your mommy?" Officer May prompted.

"Her name is Allison."

"Do you know your address or phone number, Mimi?" the lady asked softly.

Mimi ignored the question. "I know why my mommy sent me away- and it's not just because of Ryan," she informed them, twisting her fingers anxiously.

"Why?"

"I'm broken. I told Kaidan, but he didn't believe me." She looked up at the cops. "Is that why my mommy doesn't love me? She never did, you know. I can't walk right."

Officer May took Mimi's hands in her own. "Did she send you away?"

"Mommy told me to leave- so I did. I walked and walked and walked- 's not easy since I don't walk good," she pointed out. "I know hospitals are asposed to help people, so I came here." Mimi looked up at the woman after she pulled her hands out of hers. "Please don't send me back."

Kaidan walked out from the doors and met her eyes and gave her a small encouraging smile. He gave her a small wave. Since he was smiling, she supposed that he wasn't sick. His mommy and daddy though…they looked like _they _were sick as they talked to the lady behind the counter. She wanted to get up and go talk to him.

"We're going to try to find your mommy, Mimi and see if we can get this fixed," Officer May said gently.

She shook her head and fought against the tears. "It won't be different. Mommy doesn't love me. She'll just give me up. I'm just a broken girl from a broken mommy."

That quieted both of the officers. "I'll be right back," she murmured, sliding out of her chair and to her feet.

Her walk over to him was slow and awkward- as most of her walking was. She had a strange sort of limp that she could always remember having. If she stood too long, her legs would hurt and she'd fall down.

Maybe the mean man had been right.

Maybe she would be nothing more than a problem for everyone else to worry about.

Maybe she was forever broken.

She stopped in front of Kaidan and smiled up at him. He was quite a bit taller than her and was a whole lot cleaner. None-the-less, he smiled down at her.

"Not sick?" she asked quietly…_hopefully_.

"Nope."

Mimi nodded and took off her necklace that had a small M on it. It was old and didn't have any of the shiny bits still in it, but she had found it in the streets a few years before and had kept it. She stared down at it before taking Kaidan's hand and putting the necklace in it. He stared at her, confused.

"I want you to promise," she informed him.

"Promise what?"

"To everyone everywhere, I am not rememberable and I never will be," she whispered, not looking into his warm eyes. "I need someone to remember me- just one person."

Kaidan's hand closed over the necklace and he cupped her chin with his other hand. She looked up at him, startled. "I promise."

She looked back over her shoulder and then back to Kaidan. "Thank you," she whispered before turning and slowly making her way back over to the officers.

After she sat down and watched Kaidan leave with his mommy and daddy, she nodded and looked at the cops. "My name is Memory Jordana Shepard. Please don't make me go back to my mommy," she pleaded.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:**__** Here's another chapter because 1) I've got writer's block on my other stories and 2) My muse was whispering in my ear during the night. Also, you might notice the Title change- I decided that I wasn't a particular fan of it, so I changed it. :D**_

* * *

His mother fussed over him the next day as he was getting ready to go to school. Rather than helping him, like she assumed, she was doing little more than getting in the way and being a nuisance. While getting dressed, she started straightening his clothes and fussing over his hair and his decision of an outfit.

She even woke him up half an hour before was necessary- but, at least, she had the decency to make eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. However, she couldn't stop herself from flitting around as Kaidan and his father ate silently at the table. Kaidan had realized on the way home from the hospital that his biotics were not something to be discussed.

"For god's sake, Renee," his father snapped- something that almost never happened…at least not where Kaidan could hear. As a rule, his parents didn't fight, raise their voices at each other, or anything else like that. When his mother froze in her tracks at his voice, he continued, "Sit down."

Kaidan's mother lowered her head slightly and shuffled over to the table and sat down. It was so quiet in the house that it practically hurt Kaidan's head. They ate in silence until Kaidan was almost finished.

His father sat down his fork on the table and stared at Kaidan in silence for a while. "Kaidan," his father began, "you found out something…_big_ yesterday." Kaidan had gotten the impression that his parents were upset over the revelations of his abilities- the complete opposite of him. "We need to talk about it before you go to school."

"Okay," he shrugged, agreeably.

His parents stared at each other for a few seconds before Kaidan's mom took his hand in her own. "Kaidan, human biotics are still really new," she informed him quietly. "We're not like the Asari. A lot of humans fear biotics."

"I haven't done anything bad!" Kaidan exclaimed, hoping to convince his parents the truth. "I won't ever hurt anyone!"

Without thinking, his hand drifted to his pocket where the _M_ necklace was.

Maybe he was broken- just in a different way than Mimi thought she was….

…except, she was broken too.

He had watched her walk.

"Oh, baby, we're not saying you have," his mother assured him, squeezing the hand she held. "That's just what people think." She looked helplessly at his father.

"What the point _is_," his father informed him, "it wouldn't do any good to tell everyone. You need to keep this to yourself."

Kaidan didn't understand. What he had made him special. "Why?"

His father ran his hands through his own hair. "Just listen to me, Kaidan."

"I kept it to myself since I was five, Dad. It's a lot easier than you think."

_Five_.

Like little Mimi with those sad, green eyes and unwashed blonde hair.

Since his father had muttered the word biotic, Kaidan knew that his father was disappointed. He didn't hate his son, but Kaidan would never be normal. That's all that Anthony Alenko wanted for his son.

It's not like Renee could have any more children.

The three of them sat at the table in increasingly uncomfortable silence. Finally, Renee was back to her feet and was hurryingly grabbing her purse. "Come on, baby, we don't want you being late to school, now do we?"

Kaidan looked longingly at the garage door where his bike was, but sighed, knowing that his mom would never let him ride his bike that day. "Just let me go get my bag, mom," he said quietly, his shoulders falling slightly. He left the kitchen after his mother nodded.

He didn't get too far before he heard his mother and father start a heated discussion. "You don't understand, Renee," he insisted. "He'll be an outcast- a freak. This has to be from the transport crash in Singapore."

"It doesn't matter, Tony. He is our son. You can't expect me to-"

Kaidan heard a sound that resembled a fist hitting the table, effectively interrupting his mother. "There is only one place that someone like him would be accepted."

"Tony-"

"At this point, we'll be lucky if the hospital hasn't informed him to the Alliance- all doctors are required to report the Brass if there is even a possibility that a kid has biotic tendencies."

Kaidan heard his mother gasp. "Do you think they'll pick him up at school- imagine the spectacle that that'll make!"

He could practically visualize his father taking Kaidan's mother into his arms and squeeze her reassuringly. "Don't worry, Renee, we'll figure this out."

His chin fell to his chest and any remnant of pride in his ability evaporated. He had never intended to cause so much stress for his parents. He shuffled to his room to grab his bag before he heard anything else.


	6. Chapter 6

After they had given Mimi a shower and new clothes, she was fed a big meal- the biggest she could ever remember having- with shiny spoons and forks. They said that the strange thing with meat and cheese on it was a hamburger. After taking a hearty bite, she decided that it was good and kept eating it. Along with it were some kind of sticks to dip into red sauce- which they informed her was called French fries and ketchup. Those were good too. She didn't use the spoon or fork and wasn't even sure why they gave them to her in the first place.

They took her blood and then gave her an application of something they called "medi-gel" and fixed up the hole where blood came out.

She looked up at Officer May and said, "Should've had some of this to fix the hole in Ryan." In response, the officer turned very pale.

Mimi figured that the officer just didn't like blood. Mimi, personally, didn't really have a problem with it…until it started drying.

Then it got sticky.

After a few hours, they had told her that they couldn't give her back to her mommy because her mommy was dead just like Ryan.

Oh, they phrased it differently than that, something like, "Mimi, your mommy has to go to the same place as Ryan."

She didn't quite know what that meant. She didn't even know where Ryan went.

So, in response, she had asked, "Did she have a knife in her neck too?"

"No," they had assured, "she was very sick."

Sick.

Her mommy had never been sick.

Beat up and bruised, sure.

Sick?

No.

They were lying to her. She had been around her mommy every day. It's not like Mimi went anywhere. Her mommy said that the outside was filled with bad people who were…well…_bad_.

Then again, she invited a mean man into the house to make funny noises with.

They had left her in a room all by herself and went out into the hallway. She snuck up to the door and listened. She knew that it was a bad thing to do, but she couldn't stop herself. Even if her mommy didn't have a knife in her neck, she was still whatever _dead_was. So, she listened at the door.

"What are we going to do, Adam?" Officer May asked quietly.

"You know what we have to do. She has to go to one of the orphanages," Officer Drew stated calmly.

That was a weird word, one Mimi had never heard before.

_Orphanages._

She wondered what it meant.

"D'you think she has a chance of getting adopted?" Officer May asked hopefully.

There was a slight pause before Mimi heard a sigh from Officer Drew. "Belinda, the girl can't walk right. No one wants to adopt a kid that can't even _appear_ normal. No, she'll stay until she's eighteen."

"The girl's mother was a druggie- overdosing on red sand. You think that that's what happened to her? Maybe not exposure to red sand in-utero, but some kind of drug."

"Hell, for all we may know, her mother could've gotten exposed to element zero when she was pregnant and, instead of developing biotics, the kid just got screwed up legs. It could've been worse, though, Bee- she could've got a brain tumor."

So many new words.

She hated that she didn't know what they were talking about.

"Any way we can find the father?"

"We ran a DNA profile through the extra-net and we came back with no hits. God only knows who the hell the man is." Mimi could image Officer Drew shrugging (even though she didn't know what DNA or extra-net was). "We have to take her to one of the orphanages. We're just waiting on authorization from the Captain and confirmation of at least one opening."

"You know there're only two outcomes from this, don't you?" Officer May asked, sounding very tired. "She'll either join a gang or she'll be a dependent on the system until the very end."

Mimi hated Officer May for saying that. Well, not the gang part (she didn't know what that was), but the part about being reliant on other people. All because she couldn't walk.

She wanted to prove her, and everyone who thought like her and Ryan, wrong.

"This isn't going to be our problem, Belinda."

"It will be when we pick her up on gang-related charges."


	7. Chapter 7

Kaidan had never been filled with such nervousness as he was the first day of school after the visit to the hospital. All he could think of was what his parents had said- specifically his father.

Outcast.

**_Freak._**

Every loud noise spooked him- leading him to look wildly in whatever direction the sound had come from. He was worried that _they_ (which he assumed was the Alliance) were around every corner, ready to take him away to whoever knows where.

It may have been his imagination, but he could practically _feel_ everyone's eyes on him.

Like they knew.

The first time he saw his friend, Brian, was at lunch. He wondered if he still thought that Kaidan was still _cool_ and _magic._ Taking his tray over, he sat down at the table and smiled at his friend.

"Hey, Kaidan," Brian said slowly, seemingly worried. "Everything okay?"

Kaidan glanced around the table and shrugged. "Mom and dad got into an argument this morning."

Brian's mouth dropped open a little. "Really?" he gasped. "About what?"

Kaidan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Dunno," he lied.

"Was it about your-"

Kaidan shushed him. "You promised, man."

Brian frowned at him, but didn't finish his sentence. "Well, was it about _that_?"

"Yeah. It was about that."

"You worried?" Brian asked, taking a big, nonchalant bite out of his burger.

What could Kaidan say? Should he tell the truth that he was more terrified than he could ever remember being? Could he say that he was worried that his parent's would do what Mimi's mom did to her- just throw him out to fend for himself? He unconsciously rubbed the necklace in his pocket through his jeans. What was he supposed to say to someone who knew his darkest secret?

Kaidan laughed, coolly. "Afraid of what?" he snorted. "Afraid of my awesomeness?"

Brian chuckled, rolled his eyes, and left the topic alone.

Kaidan had never been so glad to lie than he was in that moment.

* * *

The day had gone on way too. Kaidan had never been so happy as to walk home.

However, when he came to his door, he could hear shouting inside.

"Damn it, he's _not_ going!" his mother shouted. "You'll have to arrest me before I'll let you take him!"

"Renee," his father tried to soothe her, "let's talk about this."

"Absolutely not!"

He felt her chin lower to his chest. He didn't mean for his parents to start fighting.

Then he heard a new voice.

"Mrs. and Commander Alenko," the voice said, the very epitome of calm, "I know this is a very trying time for your family. The Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training program is the best place for people with biotics to learn how to harness and control their powers. The Alliance is currently developing an implant that would aid in the ability to further control a person's biotics."

Kaidan heard something break. "I don't give two damns and a fuck!" his mother shouted and Kaidan winced from her words. "You are not taking my son to some damned station out in the middle of space!"

He backed away from his door, his eyes wide as he shook his head.

_No,_ he thought, wondering where he could go to run.

Suddenly he stopped as he hit…something. Turning around, he looked up into the face of three men wearing Alliance uniforms. He turned and quickly ran into his house- not even considering that there was another talking to his parents. He slammed the door and stared into the faces of his two surprised parents and that of an Alliance soldier.

"Hello," the man said easily, "you must be Kaidan."

His mother hurried forward and grabbed him only to push him behind her. "You aren't taking him. He's staying here." She looked over to her husband. "Tony, please."

Kaidan's father stared hard down at the ground. He was not exactly happy about the situation he was put in. "Renee, I can't interfere with an Alliance directive," he muttered.

"You're _retired_," she reminded him.

"It doesn't matter, Renee." He walked over to her and tried to take her hand. "You have to let them take him. He needs to learn."

"No."

Kaidan stared at the ground and then nodded to himself.

It didn't matter that he was more scared than he had ever been.

It didn't matter that he didn't know when he'd next see his parents.

He knew that it was up to him to stop the fighting between his parents.

And there was only way to do that.

"Okay," he said a little loudly, just to be heard over his parents. Everyone quieted and looked at him. "Okay. I'll go."

Renee covered her mouth as the tears that had been held back fell free. Tony nodded at his son- knowing that he didn't decide to go because he wanted to, but because he needed to.

That was the first time Kaidan could remember seeing such respect for him in his father's eyes.

"Just let me go pack."


	8. Chapter 8

Mimi followed after Officer May as quickly as she could. Sometimes she hated that she couldn't walk right- couldn't keep up with everyone else around her. Before, she had never thought anything about it because her mommy never let her around other people.

The other children- who were all different ages- all looked at her sadly…as though she was being given a bad thing.

She didn't understand.

Mimi noticed that they all had brown and purple splotches on their skin as well as scratches.

Officer May hurried them into a room away from the eyes of the other children and sat her down on a chair in front of a desk and a man.

"Nathan," Officer May said, almost without any kind of emotion of all. That was weird to Mimi.

"Belinda."

"This is the girl we talked about. Her name is Memory Jordana Shepard- she's five."

Nathan leaned forward and eyed Mimi over like a piece of meat. He seemed to focus mainly on her blond hair- and that was when Mimi realized that she hadn't seen anyone with blond hair since she had left home.

"She's a pretty little thing- shame about her walk," he sneered. "I'll take her."

Mimi looked quickly to Officer May who continued to look at Nathan, except her expression turned to one of disgust.

"Put her in the beginning kindergarten class- I doubt she knows how to even spell her name."

The meeting was long and had a bunch of words that Mimi didn't understand before Officer May stood and smiled reassuringly at Mimi. "You'll be just fine here, okay?"

Like she had any other choice but to nod.

Nathan came around his desk and laid a heavy hand on Mimi's shoulder. "Come now, Memory, let's go meet your new friends."

* * *

Mimi sat by herself in a little corner, watching as all the other kids talked to each other and sometimes hit each other. She didn't understand the rules in this place.

Where was she supposed to fit in?

A kid, probably about Kaidan's age, spotted her and walked over.

"What's your name, girl?" he demanded.

"Mimi," she informed him, wishing that he would go away. He wasn't nice like Kaidan had been.

The boy looked her up and down. "What d'you do to get put in here?"

She wondered what she was supposed to say. What was supposed to tell the truth? Lie? No one told her what to say!

"I killed my mommy's boyfriend," she said matter-of-factly.

The boy stared at her with a look between disbelief and awe. "Oh yeah? How'd you do that?"

Mimi realized that she had to let him know that she wouldn't take his crap. He was here to figure out where she belonged in this place. She slowly got to her feet and stepped close to him so that they would have been chest-to-chest if she wasn't shorter than him. She raised her head and an eyebrow. She had seen people act like this on TV- the people on the TV shows called them badasses (whatever that meant).

"I stuck a knife into his neck," she informed him quietly and ran a finger along his neck in the place she had stabbed Ryan, "and pulled it down. He bled to death in our living room."

The boy stepped back and stared at her with wide eyes. After a few moments, he nodded. He thrust out his hand for her to take and said, "The name's Finch- Toby Finch."

She realized that she had been accepted. She then had a place in the place she was stuck at. "Shepard- Mimi Shepard."

* * *

**_A/N:_****_ Ten points to whoever can remember where Finch is from._**


	9. Chapter 9

Kaidan stared out the window of the shuttle that was taking him somewhere far away from Earth and his parents. Okay, so it wasn't like they were taking him through a relay, but it was the furthest he had ever been away from his home planet.

He had been more than a little nervous when they broke atmo. His dad had told stories before…well…the mess that he was currently in…about the ease of entering and exiting atmo. He said that, the better the pilot, the less noticeable it would be.

The shuttle must have had a horrible pilot because he swore he felt every single bump.

Kaidan had always dreamed of going to space- not like he was doing at the time, but still going to space. He had read the books and watched the vids.

What he would have given to have the opportunity of saving the galaxy from some unknown that threatened their very existence. Recently, he had even started thinking that he'd like to save the girl. Not just any girl- but _the _girl. Someone who could give him something that compared to his mom and dad.

Kaidan could all but imagine himself at the head of some ship- the commanding officer. He would be dressed in those fancy dress blues (that he now kind of hated) standing beside the pilot and telling them where to go.

It was up to them to save _her_- his her.

He didn't have a particular her in mind…per se. In the last few days, though, he kept imagining a little blonde with sad, green eyes.

She needed to be saved more than anyone else he had ever known.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" a small voice asked.

He turned his head quickly and was surprised to see a pretty, brunette sitting beside of him. "It's something," he shrugged. "'s a lot different than back on Earth looking at the stars through the atmosphere."

The girl nodded, leaning forward to get a better look. "This is my first time away from Earth."

Kaidan noted the accent, but said nothing. It wasn't excessive, but it was definitely not anything he had heard before. "Mine too," he admitted, looking away from her.

"I'm Rahna, by the way," she introduced, a smile evident in her voice.

"Kaidan."

There was a slight rustling sound and Kaidan was sure that she had left, but then she asked, "So, where're you from, Kaidan?"

He turned back to her and gave a small smile. "Vancouver. You?"

"Turkey. My mother and father weren't pleased when the Alliance showed up and demanded that I be taken to the Gagarin station."

Kaidan said nothing on how his parents reacted. That still touched too much of a nerve. "So you're a biotic, too?"

She nodded happily. "Yes. I didn't start glowing until a few months ago. Momma and Poppa wanted to keep it as hush, hush as possible. Unfortunately, I kind of lit up in the middle of my World History class when a boy started kicking me."

"Yeah, my started four years ago when I was five. My parents didn't find out until a few days ago."

Her mouth formed a little 'o'. "Wow. It must have been horrible keeping a secret from your parents like that!" She waited for a moment before she realized he wasn't going to answer her. "I'm eight, by the way."

There was something about Rahna that made Kaidan like her. He wanted to just sit and be miserable, but he couldn't. She was everything he imagined that imaginary _her_ to be. She was pretty, kind, soft-spoken, and there was some kind of vulnerability in her that he couldn't quite place.

And she was just like him.

_"We are approaching the Gagarin Station, so please be seated and fasten your buckles. Thank you for flying with us,"_ a kind, chipper voice said over the shuttle's comm.

Kaidan looked over to see Rahna fastening her seatbelt with a nervous expression on her face. "Even though it's pretty, I don't like flying in space. I just keep imagining all the bad stuff- like getting sucked out into space and stuff," she shuttered.

After fastening his seatbelt, Kaidan slowly reached over and took her hand in his. When she looked at him in surprise, he simply said, "I'll hold on so you don't go anywhere alone."

"Thank you," she murmured, a small smile evident through her fear.

Yeah, Kaidan was pretty sure that Rahna was the perfect _her._


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N:_****_ Okay, we're going to skip over some time. This is kind of a dark chapter including attempted child rape. This is kind of a transitional chapter that leads to the next chapter of Shepard's life._**

**_BTW: Finch was a character that Shepard meets in ME1 if she was Earth-born. :D_**

* * *

Time had gone by. She never really celebrated her birthday- Finch always managed to get (meaning _steal_) her something. The year of her twelfth birthday was no different.

She stood in the shower room and stared at her steamed reflection.

Recently, Finch and the other boys had started looking at her different. They had even begun touching her in some way as she walked by. Oh, nothing bad, but it was a brush on her hand, her arm, anything. Finch, however, was bolder. He had taken to cupping her butt and grasping her chest.

Mimi was the only one in the orphanage with blonde hair. She didn't really understand why. That was the only thing that she could think of that would make the focus fall onto her. She brushed said blonde hair from her face and gave a small smile- something that she didn't do much of. Not a real smile, anyway.

She had developed a signature _smile_ that everyone knew meant that she was starting to get angry and she was giving them one last warning. In her time since she was five, she had developed a bit of a reputation. No one in the orphanages messed with her, and, if they did, they didn't for very long.

As it were, she and Finch (but mostly her) had a group of…_followers_ would be the best word. They looked past her limp.

She almost felt like she belonged.

"Memory," a low voice said from the doorway.

Mimi spun around to face the head of the orphanages, not liking the way his eyes wandered over her towel-clad body. "Mr. Nathan," she answered, trying not to let her nervousness show.

Nathan slowly made his way to her and laid his hands on her all-but-bare hips and turned her back around so that she was facing the mirror again with him standing close to flush against her back- a bulge pressing into her back.

"You are absolutely beautiful," he murmured, running one hand up her side and finally met bare skin under her arm. "You've really grown up."

"Mr. Nathan," she all but whimpered in fear, trying to step away from him. Unfortunately, his hands kept her in place. "I don't-"

"Quiet now, girl," he snapped, turning her around and pressing her back against the cool stone of the wall. "I've made sure you've had what you've needed for years. It's about time you paid me back."

One of his large hands wrapped around her throat as he pressed his lips against hers and forced her mouth to open.

She couldn't breathe. She understood enough to know what his intentions were.

There were no options that she could think of. The last time a full-grown man had messed with her, she had a knife in her hand and she was able to put a permanent stop to him. She didn't have anything close to sharp anywhere near her this time. She was naked save for a towel.

The sound of his zipper was enough to get her brain moving in over-drive.

His tongue was still in her mouth, so she bit down as hard as she could, tasting blood. He yanked back, his hands instantly going to his mouth. She gave him her practically patented _Shepard Smirk_. Stepping forward and snapping her knee up into his groin.

"How's that for payback, asshole?" she sneered as he fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

Grabbing her clothes from where she had sat them on the ledge of the sink, she darted out into the hall as quickly as she could and ran promptly into Toby who grabbed her by her upper arms. "Mimi, what the hell?"

She gasped and pulled out of his grip. "I'm leaving. I've got to leave. Nathan…Nathan…." She found herself struggling for breath. Toby simply nodded and pulled her into the girl's dorm.

"Get dressed," he ordered. "We'll leave as soon as you're finished," he informed her matter-of-factly.

She quickly pulled on her clothes- struggling somewhat with her pants as she always did and ended up falling into Finch's back. Stumbling forward, he made a small growl and turned around to help keep her steady.

Of course, that didn't actually require him to stare at her bra-covered chest.

"Get your shoes on, Mimi," he ordered, grabbing the pair of earrings that he had just given to her.

As she pulled her boots on, she stated, "You don't have to come with me. This is my problem, Toby."

He helped her to her feet and pressed a kiss on her temple. "Mimi, _you_ are my problem."

Well, for that, she had no response.

Toby pulled her quickly through the halls towards his secret exit. "Where're we going to go?" she asked quietly.

"Does it matter?" he demanded. "Won't anything be better than here?"

He had a point- one that she couldn't even argue.

"Let's go."


End file.
